The prior art deer repellent formulation is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,965,070, issued Oct. 23, 1990 to the same inventor as this application. The prior art formulation consisted essentially of, by volume, 68 to 90% water; 6 to 10% thiram; 0.5 to 2% chicken eggs; 1 to 2% liquid hot sauce; 2 to 16% adhesive to aid in adhering to vegetation; and 0.5 to 2% coloring dye. The dye is necessary so the coating will blend in with the foliage. There is no indication that such formulas can be used as a geese deterrent.
One problem of the prior art deer repellent formulation is that, although the ingredients are common materials, it requires approval of the Environmental Protection Agency (xe2x80x9cEPAxe2x80x9d) which involves long and costly tests. Formulations of this type are applied by small companies, such as landscape gardeners, and the obtaining of approval from the EPA is financially prohibitive. This results in widespread destruction of homeowners"" landscaping because of the unfettered proliferation of deer in suburban areas. Further, the prior art materials have a limited effective life and the odor of the formulation can limit its acceptance. A further problem with the prior art compositions is that a colorant to hide their presence on the foliage is usually necessary.
One object of the present invention is to provide an improved animal repellent formulation for application to a shrub, plant or the like which can be acceptable under EPA regulations.
Another object of the invention is to provide an animal repellent formulation more acceptable to humans.
Another object of the invention is to make use of EPA-approved components without reduction of the effectiveness of the treatment.
A still further object is to provide such a composition which is transparent.
Other objects and the advantages of the invention will appear from the following description.
According to the present invention, a non-toxic animal repellent formulation, not subject to EPA approval and particularly applicable to deer and geese, and method for its use are provided. The key part of the formulation is the use of a combination of rosemary oil and mint oil in an aqueous mixture. The composition is usually prepared in a concentrate which is diluted with water on the job site to reduce transportation costs. A typical effective mixture for deer would be one gallon of concentrate to approximately 10 gallons of water. Since the preferred method of application is by spraying the concentration in a given area, the actual amount applied depends on the operator and the dilution. A preferred application would be one gallon of the diluted concentrate per 4,000 square feet of surface area in a fine spray. Water should not be applied to the treated area for at least 20 minutes after application.
In the preferred concentrate composition, about 5 to 20 ounce of Rosemary oil emulsion is admixed with 5 to 20 ounces of mint oil emulsion. A conventional thickener, such as zanthan gum, can be added to produce the optimum viscosity for spraying and handling. Typical would be 1 to 5% of the total composition of thickener. All of the percentages are by volume of the composition. The mixture is added to form a gallon (128 ounces) of concentrate. If desired, the formulation can be modified by adding other components conventionally found in animal repellent. The addition of table salt of about 1 to 15 teaspoonfuls is desirable. Further, 10 to 30 ounces of white distilled vinegar can be added. About 10 to 30 ounces of dry, raw eggs can also be added.
As indicated, prior to application to vegetation, the composition is diluted in a concentration of one part of repellent concentrate to approximately 5 to 15 parts water. The mixture is stirred until a uniform composition is obtained. The composition is sprayed with a fine nozzle power spray producing a fine mist on the foliage to be protected in about one gallon for each 4,000 square feet of foliage.
As a general rule, a concentration of five times the concentration of effective components for deer is required for geese.
As an alternate procedure, the composition can be impregnated into or coated onto a material such as a rope with the rope being placed around the vegetation to be protected. As another alternative, the composition can be left in containers which are distributed in a uniform manner around the area being treated.